Google has ditched Battery Share on the Pixel 10 – but for a good reason

Google Pixel 10 in hand from 3/4 angle
The Google Pixel 10 (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

  • The Google Pixel 10 series doesn't include Battery Share
  • This feature was removed to allow for Qi2 magnetic wireless charging
  • Not all Pixel fans are happy about this change

The Google Pixel 10 series comes with a number of new features, but it’s also missing some things, with Battery Share notably being absent from these phones.

That’s Google’s name for its reverse wireless charging feature – in other words the ability to use your phone to wirelessly charge other devices. It’s a common feature on Android handsets, including the Google Pixel 9 series, but it’s missing from the Pixel 10.

However, there’s a good reason for this, as DroidReader asked Google and was told that the array of magnets required for Qi2 magnetic wireless charging “creates a strong connection with the charger but presents a physical limitation for reverse wireless charging.”

So in other words, the addition of Qi2 magnetic wireless charging (which allows you to use the new Pixelsnap accessories) meant Google had to remove Battery Share.

MagSafe with Pixel branding

Google Pixel 10 Pro

The Google Pixel 10 Pro with a PixelSnap accessory (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)

For most people, we’d wager this is a good trade. Pixelsnap is a lot like MagSafe – it’s an ecosystem of wireless chargers and accessories like stands and grips that can attach to the back of your Pixel 10 with magnets.

It’s a handy feature, but not everyone is happy about this change, with a Reddit thread including comments like “this one hurts a lot”, and “Battery Share I found to be such a useful feature”.

Still, other comments mentioned hardly if ever using it, so it’s certainly not a universally loved feature. Hopefully, even those who did love Battery Share will come to appreciate Pixelsnap too – but if not, other brands like Samsung still offer similar reverse wireless charging capabilities.

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James is a freelance phones, tablets and wearables writer and sub-editor at TechRadar. He has a love for everything ‘smart’, from watches to lights, and can often be found arguing with AI assistants or drowning in the latest apps. James also contributes to 3G.co.uk, 4G.co.uk and 5G.co.uk and has written for T3, Digital Camera World, Clarity Media and others, with work on the web, in print and on TV.

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